Lok Sabha Election 2024: From Varanasi to Thiruvananthapuram, Key Contests to Look Out For

New Delhi: schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2024 announced today will see a number of high-profile electoral battles, starring veterans and debutants, formidable opponents and unlikely contestants. Here are some key contests to watch out for: 

VARANASI 

NARENDRA MODI VS ?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will contest upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi for third time. In 2014, he defeated Aam Ami Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal and won against Samajwi Party's Shalini Yav in 2019. Congress is yet to announce its candidate from high-profile constituency. In 2019, re was a buzz that Congress leer Priyanka Gandhi Vra might fight from Varanasi but party fielded Ajay Rai, also its candidate from constituency in 2014. Before PM Modi, Varanasi seat was held by BJP veteran Murli Manohar Joshi.

WAYAN 

RAHUL GANDHI VS ANNIE RAJA

Senior Congress leer Rahul Gandhi will face CPI leer and women’s rights activist Annie Raja as he seeks a second term from Wayan in Kerala. contest has particularly aroused public interest since both Congress and CPI are members of INDI bloc. Annie Raja’s husband and party general secretary D Raja regularly shares stage with Gandhi. In 2019, Gandhi was elected from Wayan constituency after he defeated PP Suneer of CPI by an impressive 4.31 lakh votes. Annie Raja, general secretary of party’s National Federation of Indian Women, is making her debut in Lok Sabha elections.

AMETHI 

SMRITI IRANI VS ?

Amethi, once pocket borough of Gandhi family, has seen fierce contests in last two Lok Sabha polls. While BJP leer Smriti Irani, who wrested seat from Rahul Gandhi in 2019, is seeking a re-election from constituency, Congress has not yet announced its candidate from Amethi. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi represented Amethi in Parliament from 2004 till 2019. Party workers have been wanting him to contest from Amethi to win back seat, represented earlier by his uncle Sanjay Gandhi, far Rajiv Gandhi and later, his mor Sonia Gandhi. This will be Irani's third Lok Sabha election from constituency. In 2014, she h me her Lok Sabha polls debut but lost to Rahul Gandhi.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 

SHASHI THAROOR VS RAJEEV CHANDRASHEKHAR

Sitting MP and former Union minister Shashi Tharoor is seeking a re-election from Thiruvananthapuram for a fourth consecutive term. He will face BJP leer and Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is making his Lok Sabha debut and wants to open saffron party's account in Kerala. or prominent leer in contest is CPI's Pannyan Raveendran, who h won elections from constituency in 2005.

BAHARAMPUR 

HIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY VS YUSUF PATHAN

Former cricketer Yusuf Pathan has been fielded by Trinamool Congress (TMC) from Baharampur constituency in West Bengal, a Congress stronghold currently held by its Lok Sabha leer hir Ranjan Chowdhury. Chowdhury, West Bengal Congress unit president, has represented Baharampur five times as a Member of Parliament since he was first elected from seat in 1999. He is gearing up to seek a sixth term from constituency. Congress has not yet announced its candidate from seat.

NEW DELHI 

BANSURI SWARAJ VS SOMNATH BHARTI

BJP has replaced two-time MP and Union minister of state Meenakshi Lekhi from this seat with Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of late Union minister Sushma Swaraj. AAP has fielded Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti from this seat. With Congress and AAP contesting Lok Sabha polls in alliance in national capital, contest in high-profile constituency has acquired ded significance and urgency.

RAJNANDGAON 

BHUPESH BAGHEL VS SANTOSH PANDEY

Congress has fielded its former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel from Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha seat in Chhattisgarh, a BJP bastion for more than three deces and seen as turf of its former three-time CM Raman Singh. He is locked in a contest with BJP's sitting MP Santosh Pandey. Interestingly, BJP hasn't lost this seat since 2009. Congress has put one of its strong candidates in an attempt to break convention and win from BJP's stronghold.

CHURU 

RAHUL KASWAN VS DEVENDRA JHAJHARIA

Two-time MP from Churu Rahul Kaswan h resigned from BJP last week and has been fielded by Congress from same seat. He is pitted against paralympic champion Devendra Jhajharia who will contest election on a BJP ticket. Pma Bhushan javelin thrower, Jhajharia, is a two-time paralympics gold medallist and one-time silver medallist.

Kaswan is a third-generation Jat politician from Rajasthan's Shekhawati region. He became youngest Lok Sabha member from state at age of 37 when he won 2014 general elections by defeating Bahujan Samaj Party’s Abhinesh Maharshi. He h won with a record margin of 2.94 lakh votes in 2014, which was highest-ever in Churu Lok Sabha constituency. He was an immediate successor of his far Ram Singh Kaswan, who represented seat in Lok Sabha for four terms.

WEST DELHI 

MAHABAL MISHRA VS KAMALJEET SEHRAWAT

Veteran Congress leer and former MP Mahabal Mishra is in fray again but as an AAP candidate. seat went to AAP in alliance with Congress. He was elected as Congress MP from West Delhi in 2009 by defeating BJP's Jagdish Mukhi. BJP has replaced sitting MP Pravesh Verma and has fielded former South Delhi mayor Kamaljeet Sehrawat. In 2019, Verma won this seat with highest margin of 5,78,000 votes among all seven Lok Sabha seats of Delhi.

CHHINDWARA 

NAKUL NATH VS VIJAY KUMAR SAHU

Vivek 'Bunty' Sahu, who unsuccessfully contested 2023 Assembly election against former Mhya Presh chief minister Kamal Nath, will now challenge Congress veteran’s son and sitting MP Nakul Nath in upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Nakul Nath is seeking re-election from Chhindwara. Chhindwara constituency has been Congress veteran and nine-time MP Kamal Nath's stronghold for over four deces. On or hand, Vivek Sahu has, so far, contested from Chhindwara Assembly constituency on plank of "Chhindwara ka beta" in last two elections, but failed to clinch it.

THRISSUR 

K MURALIDHARAN VS SURESH GOPI

K Muralidharan, Congress MP from Vatakara in Kerala, has been fielded from Thrissur in 2024 Lok Sabha Election. move came days after Muralidharan's sister Pmaja Venugopal switched sides to BJP. Muraleedharan and Pmaja are children of late chief minister K Karunakaran. BJP, on or hand, has fielded actor-turned politician Suresh Gopi from Thrissur. CPI h fielded VS Sunil Kumar, former Agriculture minister, from seat.

SHIVAMOGGA 

BY RAGHAVENDRA VS KS ESHWARAPPA

Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat in Karnataka is considered fortress of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa's family. This time, however, it is all set for a dramatic turn of events. BJP senior leer and OBC face KS Eshwarappa is contesting as an independent candidate against party veteran BS Yediyurappa's son BY Raghavendra for Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat. This follows his son KE Kantesh not getting a party ticket to contest Haveri Lok Sabha seat.